A few days ago we mentioned a controversy that was going on in Boston after some trolley conductors objected to an advertising campaign for Legal Sea Foods “fresh fish.” The controversial ad reads, “This conductor has a face like a halibut.” Now Legal Sea Food’s CEO has decided to strike back against the offended conductors with a sarcastic “apology.”
“We should have never, ever said, ‘This conductor has a face like a halibut,’ when the truth is, most conductors don’t look anything at all like halibuts,” Berkowitz says in the new radio advertisement, produced by the New York ad agency DeVito/Verdi. “Some look more like groupers or flounders. I’ve even seen a few who closely resemble catfish. And there’s one conductor on the Green Line that looks remarkably like a hammerhead shark. So we feel very badly about this mischaracterization, and we won’t let it happen again.”
Is this war?
“We don’t think his fish is as fresh as he is,” said Stephan MacDougall, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, which represents operators working for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. “He’s misguided and misdirected. He is suffering from elitism and needs to do some self-examination.”
MacDougall says the he’s encouraging his union’s members, members of other unions, and working-class families to boycott Legal Sea Foods. Fight!
Legal Sea Foods chief offers MBTA operators a sort of fishy apology [Boston Globe]
(Photo: Ben + Sam )
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I love when companies have a sense of humour.
“He is suffering from elitism and needs to do some self-examination.”
Sounds like human elitism to me? Why are these conductors insulting these poor fish?
@Angryrider: Elitist as a pejorative, along with the general anti-intellectuallism in modern American discourse, bugs the shit out of me.
Plus, cultured people say “ëlitist”, with an ümlaut.
@MercuryPDX: Lived there for 10 years; that’s pretty much the case.
@CaptainCynic: ha. it was funny BOTH times you said it.
@weakdome: But it’ll be even funnier the third time. It’s the rule of three. Come on, CaptainCynic!
I actually think MTA drivers look worse than fish. They should feel complimented by the fish comparison.
This sarcastic legal sea food guy makes me want to eat his seafood. This is pretty f’in funny if you ask me.
@NoWin: You’re kidding, right? MBTA conductors are extremely well paid. There’s a reason you have to know someone to become one.
But what about the halibut? How do they feel being compared to conductors?
NO PUBLICITY IS BAD PUBLICITY!
Seriously. I’ve never heard of this place, and never would have if it wasn’t for this ‘war’. Way to go conductors, are they getting a piece of this or what?
@unohoo:
Snap. Pennsylvania a city? Bwa ha ha ha!
Considering it was written by a school administrator, it once again shows your tax dollars at work — or hardly working.
This is the perfect post to blame the “victim”.
@Bagels: This is Boston, they know that the halibut may be or is the ugliest fish on earth. Its like being told your mother shaved your head and had you walk ass backwards. For a company based in Boston, that had in the past generated much good will, this is pretty stupid. Most trolley drivers are great people that instead of slamming the door when you run to the train or keeping it shut while you get rained on, will open the door if there is room (unless another trolley is right behind). So all you know it alls that have never lived in the best city in America, stifle yourselves.
I think I’ll step by Legal the next time I’m in Boston. Clam chowder happens to be my favorite soup. Gotta see how they do them.
The ones in the NY Metro Area are way too far for me for a routine stop.
After reading some of these comments, I wonder when manners and social decorum suddenly became political correctness. Call me old-fashioned but I certainly wouldn’t appreciate being the butt of a halibut joke like that no matter how humorous it is and I’m sure those conductors feel the same way.
“Politically correct” is an excuse to bash on anyone who gets in the way of somebody acting like an asshat.
Sadly, last time we were in boston we had problems finding any good seafood anyhow. Stellas in Minneapolis beat out most of the lobster,etc that we found.
There /is/ an amazing italian/seafood place on the sliver line over near what i think was a courthouse. Freaking amazing stuff. Hole in the wall too. Less than 10 tables, the matri’di was freaking out when we came (they had a huge crowd in the offseason, didn’t expect it) but the owner was a class act and even gave us some free wine and dessert for putting up with the wait for our food. The food was completely worth it.
[www.dailycatch.com]
Anyhow, we also went to Summer Shack, which was pretty good for me but my wife got an overcooked lobster.
conductor should have complained to his company for posting the add. nuff said
I plan to run ads pointing out that blog posters are all pederasts. Funny. I’ll even include your pictures, names, email adresses, home phone, and street adress. What, you feel slighted. You overpaid wimps. It’s only a joke. Get a spine.
Where’s the victim here? The media. Look at all the priceless advertising Legal is getting. Who’s their ad agency? I need to hire them.
Who gives a crap? I don’t eat seafood and the trolley operator DO look like Halibut
@AngelasAshtray: That corridor has changed over the past years (or I’m just getting old and jaded). With the massive condo-complex built at the Natick Mall, and the new’ish Natick Collection, Chestnut Hill has had to compete harder for traffic, well, with foot traffic, as car traffic is NEVER an issue in Boston
I’ve seen those darned Tourist buses there, and they ain’t just doin’ a pickup and drop-off, so a few charter companies are now using it as a day-trip.
I swear the Legal prices where always the highest there, and that’s where they might send chefs to train.
I actually thought the adverts where kinda “Bostonian”, but it didn’t help that the MBTA had a carman killed in a weird Green Line collision the week before. Now my wife doesn’t want me to use Riverside anymore.
@drharris:
Dr., I’m referring to Berkowitz’s second comment, in which he says how much other conductors look like other types of fish. Now what kind of a pig does Berkowitz look like?
This reminds me of the South Park episode where the parents boycott over Terrance and Phillip — the network president making a statement…
**WARNING** NSFW
[www.southparkstudios.com]
The MBTA should have just told CEO of Legal Seafood taht he looks like a caboose and been done with it. Hopefully Legal Seafood will give MMBTA’s MacDougall a free lunch or have an MBTA contest giving out gift certificates tot eh MBTA employee who looks most like a fish. This could be fun with MBTA riders voting for who looks most like a mermaid, etc… Anyway this free PR should halp Legal Seafood’s bottom line and introduce more people to some great fish.
@NoWin: Mostly true, but like most public transportation employees, I bet they get ASKED MANY times where is a good place to eat…
Wanna bet Legal’s is not the first answer given???
@MercuryPDX: Sorry we don;t need you here, we are already full…
Check back later for any vacancies…
@cmdrsass:
Corporations seem to be lauded for ‘high profits’, but somehow it’s disgusting if an individual tries negotiate?
A group of indivuduals banding together for negotiating power seems pretty smart to me.
It’s not like they are super rich! Are they?! I’d be shocked.
Some union jobs are cushy to be sure, but it seems to me that outside of unions the more people get paid the more it’s based on something other than actual value.
I think these trolley guys should have had more of a sense of humor (way more) but seeing as they were offended, I think the huge mistake made here was that the ad company or the seafood company made no attempt to show they were laughing with them, not at them.
They could have directed some of that fish-humor inward in an apology. Maybe they could have even expanded the campaign.
I wish I had a Legal Sea Foods in my area. I would so eat there. They have both balls and a sense of humor.
But did he ever return
No, he never returned
And his fate is still unlearned
He may ride forever
‘Neath the streets of Boston
He’s the man who never returned.
BREAKING: MBTA sues the Kingston Trio…
@brainwav: I know. It’s Boston. We love a good laugh, especially if it’s making fun of a driver. Regardless of the vehicle.